He has irked some environmentalists by espousing a direct carbon tax on fuel use. Some see that as a distraction from rallying support in Congress for cap-and-trade legislation that is on the table.

He is scathing of that approach. “This is analagous to the indulgences that the Catholic church sold in the middle ages. The bishops collected lots of money and the sinners got redemption. Both parties liked that arrangement despite its absurdity. That is exactly what’s happening,” he said. “We’ve got the developed countries who want to continue more or less business as usual and then these developing countries who want money and that is what they can get through offsets [sold through the carbon markets].”

[From Copenhagen climate change talks must fail, says top scientist | Environment | The Guardian ]

Editor—I wish to draw attention to what I think is a serious problem in medical education. Since I became a consultant in 1985, some senior staff have been complaining that medical students nowadays do not know as much as they used to. This complaint has been given greater impetus by the invention of “new” medical curricula, which means that teachers now believe that they have an identifiable reason why today’s medical students are not as good as they used to be. My impression is that these complaints long predate any new curricula. It is demoralising for new students to be given the impression that they are not as knowledgeable as they should be or as others were at an equivalent stage.

Most teachers cannot possibly remember what they did and did not know at any particular point in time, especially when there is a 20 year gap between the two. It is common to imagine that one’s knowledge and skills were similar in the past to what they currently are. The burden of medical knowledge is much greater than it was 20 years ago. When I was a student, patients with uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction used to receive virtually only oxygen and pain relief, but now the key required knowledge base for this common disease has to include thrombolytic treatment, aspirin, ?-blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, statins, risk stratification, etc. The length of the medical course is still five years. Yet if students should now know all their teachers used to know, plus all the new key knowledge, it needs to be expanded to much longer than that.

Medical teachers who complain about students’ lack of knowledge should wake up to several facts.
Firstly, they probably overestimate what they knew when they were students.

Secondly, the knowledge base has expanded so dramatically since they qualified that students could not possibly know all they used to, plus all the new facts.

Thirdly, it is probably not the new curricula that have caused this, but they may be a convenient scapegoat.

Fourthly, complaining to the students not only demoralises them but also decreases any esteem that they may then feel towards that teacher. It could even explain why medical graduates are increasingly turning towards non-medical careers. If there is a genuine problem, then we need to address it, but it is counterproductive to make the students feel substandard or infer to them that their medical course is substandard.

Allan D Struthers, professor of cardiovascular medicine and therapeutics
Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee

blah|blether
on church, mission, worship + culture with Jonny Baker (CMS)
Friday 27th November – 5pm
The Crypt, Wellington Church, University Avenue, Glasgow

Jonny Baker is one of the best known Christian bloggers in the English speaking world. He brings a wealth of experience in Youth Work, Worship Leading/Curating, and Mission Support.

A prolific networker, over the years his blog has become a point of connection for many thousands of people involved in debates around emerging church, alternative worship and mission in the contemporary West.
This one-off blah/blether (named after similar events Jonny runs in England) begins with chat over curry + beer/irn bru, after which Jonny will speak and there will be time for responses and discussion.

All welcome, but booking essential by 26th Nov.
Cost £3 (£1 unwaged, £2 student) includes food – BYOB
Contact douggay@mac.com

This event is also on Facebook

I have it on good authority that the curry will be exquisite..! Hopefully see you there..!

View Blah Blether in a larger map

David Bazan (previously playing with Pedro the Lion) has released a new album.. it’s on repeat in our house at the moment keeping me thinking.
Listen here on Spotify (or three bonus acoustic mp3s: Hard to Be | Curse Your Branches | Bless this Mess)

“Horrifying,” “naïve,” and “flawed” are among the adjectives geneticists and isotope specialists have used to describe the “Human Provenance pilot project,” launched quietly in mid-September by the U.K. Border Agency. Their consensus: The project is not scientifically valid – or even sensible.” – Science Magazine

Boingboing has more on the proposals of trying to test nationality on the basis of genetic analysis and there’s more criticism from Academics in the same field.

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

Looking for peoples interested in being involved in the Glasgow DIY festival to be held at the end of September. Either organising events, running events, or attending.
We will be putting on a range of events, from DIY music to talks on bicycle maintenance. (from gumtree)

Interested? Get in contact

A few wee ideas that popped into my head..
- diy phography/developing/processing
- diy music – spontaneous/imporvised music in groups
- diy spirituality – exploring spiritiualty/faith/celtic christianity outside the church
- diy medicine – looking at simple remedies for common things
- diy web – introductions to blogging/twitter, basic website creation

Hear our prayer…

May the road rise to meet you….. May the wind be ever at your back. ….May all your journeying be joyous. …. And until we meet again ….may God hold you…. and your bicycles….. in the palm of God’s hand.

Go in peace and safety.
Amen.

Read more here..